honestly I don't feel the DMG is needed at all. I bought it as a new DM about a year ago, but honestly that's the book i open the least. The treasure tables are nice sometimes, but even those I rarely use. All of the rules are in the PHB (or honestly in the Basic Rules). The DMG contains variants on the rules, but nothing that is needed at all. The other things I think of when I think of it are availble in the Basic Rules/SRD (Encounter building, between adventures, magic items).
The MM to a lesser extent really isn't needed. As you stated the stat blocks are mostly available through the SRD. Other than that the MM gives you lore of the creatures as the pertain to the Forgotten Realms, in which your game might not take place so those points could be moot.
The PHB is great because it gives the players more races, classes, subclasses and feats. It contains all of the rules needed for the game. It's the only book I would say you should get if you aren't sure you want to play or not long-term. It's a relatively small investment, and it gives you everything needed to run/play the game in a nice format.
honestly I don't feel the DMG is needed at all. I bought it as a new DM about a year ago, but honestly that's the book i open the least. The treasure tables are nice sometimes, but even those I rarely use. All of the rules are in the PHB (or honestly in the Basic Rules). The DMG contains variants on the rules, but nothing that is needed at all. The other things I think of when I think of it are availble in the Basic Rules/SRD (Encounter building, between adventures, magic items).
The MM to a lesser extent really isn't needed. As you stated the stat blocks are mostly available through the SRD. Other than that the MM gives you lore of the creatures as the pertain to the Forgotten Realms, in which your game might not take place so those points could be moot.
Actually, those are the books I use most often. Well, I say I use the MM; what I really use is the D&D Beyond Monsters Listing. I really do use the physical DMG, though; the monster creation section just doesn't feel right in the D&D Beyond version. I may be a bit obsessive, though.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Oh I use DNDBeyond's MM listing all the time, it is fantastic. But before I had it (i used the beta version with the SRD, but before that) I just used the SRD mostly, because it is available online and can easily be searched rather than the physical book. I bought the MM and DMG here because of the sale week 1, but I think I would be pretty well off without it, as so many monsters are available through the SRD.
Also the basic rules/SRD has a monster creation section, though I haven't compared it to the DMG section. I honestly haven't really created too many monsters, I find the ones that exist do the job well enough for now (as a beginner of course).
The best advice I ever got about DM'ing was right before I ran my first game. DM's never cheat.
You're going to find that sometimes, you're the one steering the story. Players do stupid stuff, constantly. (I'm known for my reckless and foolhardy decisions...lol) Yet, you should never punish them for trying something new. If it fails, let them take some damage or something; but don't up and end the game. Your rogues are going to want to rogue. Your bards are going to want to perform and make money. Your barbarians are going to want blood and combat; constantly. You'll start seeing the pattern of certain classes tropes the more you run, it's actually quite funny.
Roll with the punches and reward risky decisions or even silly ideas. Not with XP or loot all the time, mind you. But tie it into your story, make it a thread in your world. Sometimes, it becomes a joke. (In my one game on here we had a fighter running around afraid of doors, it became a running gag...) It's okay to fudge the dice if your players are getting beat down. Or if they are cocky S.O.B.'s and need to be taken down a peg or two...lol
In the end, it's your narrative that they are building with you. You're a storyteller with a cast of characters to help you build your story. You're not in this alone when sitting around the table, it's a whole group effort to make the game enjoyable. Who's going to clear out your well-planned dungeon? Your players. Who is going to save the princess? Your players. Who's going to oppose the players when they clear the well-planned dungeon and save the princess? The DM and the minions that said DM has crafted to do their bidding!
Just remember this, always. DM's can NEVER cheat.
Also, don't give them too many magic items at first. You will regret it. But mainly, DM's can never cheat.
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"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
This "fact" requires a bit of finesse to actually use properly. If a DM acts like they are literally infallible and anything they want to do is fine by default, that DM can end up without players willing to join them at the table.
A DM must temper their "Nothing I do is wrong" so that they are not doing anything objectionable to their players... which is a greatly variable thing, since some players will put up with basically anything the DM does no matter how much it makes their choices as a player and the actions of their character irrelevant because the DM has a different plan and is "not cheating" to keep that plan going, and on the other end of the spectrum some players will walk away from the table at the first sign that the DM isn't sticking to whatever rules were established for the group (i.e. if a DM says "I never fudge die rolls", but then they fudge a die roll because they are allowed to as "DM's can never cheat", they've broken the rules they set for themself, and a player could find that objectionable enough to stop playing - like I know I and any of my players would).
In case no one has mentioned it yet. Watch Matt Colvilles videos on You tube called Running the game. As well as Matt Mercer's GM tips. They are both amazing for a first time DM.
This "fact" requires a bit of finesse to actually use properly. If a DM acts like they are literally infallible and anything they want to do is fine by default, that DM can end up without players willing to join them at the table.
A DM must temper their "Nothing I do is wrong" so that they are not doing anything objectionable to their players... which is a greatly variable thing, since some players will put up with basically anything the DM does no matter how much it makes their choices as a player and the actions of their character irrelevant because the DM has a different plan and is "not cheating" to keep that plan going, and on the other end of the spectrum some players will walk away from the table at the first sign that the DM isn't sticking to whatever rules were established for the group (i.e. if a DM says "I never fudge die rolls", but then they fudge a die roll because they are allowed to as "DM's can never cheat", they've broken the rules they set for themself, and a player could find that objectionable enough to stop playing - like I know I and any of my players would).
Very true. Finesse is needed so as to not break your own game. Making sure the players have fun is first and foremost in running a smooth game. They won't question your decisions if you're not hindering them too greatly and also making their experience in your game is super enjoyable. You're the god of the game, just don't be a d**khead god. lol
I, thankfully, have always used that rule quite well. I know what I don't like as player watching another DM, so I made sure I didn't fall into those traps.
I remember one of my first game sessions with a terrible DM, we were playing the Everquest d20 game. I played a dark elf something or another; can't quite recall. (This was almost 15 years ago lol) Anyways, he wouldn't let us roll for anything. He was trying to arrest our party from the start of the game and wouldn't let us roll to get away. He kept saying stuff like, "You won't be able to do it anyways...etc, etc." I almost quit playing the game after that. Then I had a friend who played D&D and told me to jump in their game they played on Sunday's. LIFE CHANGING. I guess my point is, let your players try. Even if they're going to fail, you have to have that option open.
And if you make a very obvious mistake and your player's catch it. Admit it, adjust, move on. You got this, though. I know by coming onto the forums and asking for help you're going to find the information that best suits you to run a good game. Not all new DM's will ask for help. That's what all of us are here for. If you have a question about a certain rule or spell, ask it here if you can't figure it out. A lot of good and very smart gamers on here. I know I have to still ask for help clarifying some stuff and I have been playing for almost 15 years.
Good luck in your game and after a few sessions if you want to post and let us know how your game is going... we're here for ya! :)
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"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
Over time, most of my DMing philosophy has been heavily informed by the philosophy of Dungeon World, a game that's sort of a love letter to old-school D&D but is very much about the collaborative storytelling over rolling dice, etc. A lot of the GMing rules in DW are quite applicable to making any RPG experience more fun, and I'm going to discuss them here and how they can apply to D&D.
(NB I am not here to say that DW is better than D&D or that people should play DW instead; I have no interest in arguing about any of that, only sharing what I think are some helpful guiding principles for DMs.)
First, portray a fantastic world. Unless your players really want to play a medieval life sim that's brutally realistic in that very few exciting things ever happen, there's going to be some level of fantasy in your setting. It doesn't have to mean dragons and magic (tho this is D&D after all) but that the world is engaging to your players and dynamic--there's a lot going on and all kinds of action and danger, and the PCs are the only ones who can stop the BBEG from destroying the world or save the princeling who's been kidnapped by the lich, etc. That helps to meet the next part of the GM's agenda, which is to fill the characters' lives with adventure. Make the PCs feel important. Next, play to find out what happens. This is maybe a little more specific in terms of DW, because the GM kind of takes a backseat to players in terms of the storytelling sometimes, but the idea is that the story is created through playing together. Anyone who has DM'd more than a couple times will tell you that unexpected things will happen, players will resist your rails or ignore (or just miss) your hooks, and so on. The point is that you're not writing a novel or directing a play--the players are not just actors in your story. They help determine the outcome as much as--sometimes more than--you do.
There are a whole bunch of other principles, some of them very specific to DW, some less so, and I won't spend as much time on them but there are a couple that I think can be really helpful.
First, draw maps and leave blanks. Leave room for the unexpected and unknown. This one principle has blown the doors off the way I DM, and can literally apply to maps, or character backstories (including NPCs!) and so on. In DW it often means letting the players tell you information about the world--that happens a lot less in D&D in my experience, but I still think the general idea of not planning everything out, leaving space for the unexpected, is incredibly important.
Address the characters, not the players. This helps keep everyone fully engaged in the gameplay. Never, "Jamie, what does Finn do?" and always "Finn, what's your plan?"
Embrace the fantastic. What are people playing D&D for if they don't want mystery and magic? Obviously, the level of fantasy might change based on what people are interested in, but D&D is so much more than just a war game, you know?
Give every monster life. Combat is far more interesting when you're fighting a living, breathing thing rather than a set of stats. When you face the creature, can you smell the stench of rotted meat? See the tiny beads of sweat or condensation on its leathery skin? Hear the thundering beating of its wings? etc.
Name every person. Players don't care about "the shopkeeper" but they will care about Matilda who was forced to start running the shop after her husband died in the War of the Silver Marches and is just struggling to get by.
Ask questions and use the answers, e.g. "what do you do?", "Finn, you're up, and it looks like Marceline just got clobbered by the hill giant. How do you respond?" "Kamala, what do you think about what just happened?" and so on.
Be a fan of the characters. This one is so important. This doesn't mean go easy on them, but it does mean you cheer their victories and feel bummed when things don't work out for them. This also usually means in DW that you don't push them in any particular direction. In D&D, it can be okay to do that sometimes, and if you're playing a pre-written adventure you may have to. That's okay too.
Think dangerous. Like someone said above, you're playing with the players and not against them. But that doesn't mean you aren't here to throw some crazy obstacles in their way, and most stories aren't very interesting if there's nothing really at stake. Let your players know that while you don't want their characters to die, it is a distinct possibility. On the flip side, thinking dangerous doesn't only apply to how you treat the players. It might be even more relevant to how you think about your world. Kill your darlings. Everything you've created can be put in danger or destroyed. "The world changes. Without the characters’ intervention, it changes for the worse."
Think offscreen too. Not everything happens with the characters present; sometimes the BBEG smashes up a town all the way across the continent, or there's something dangerous and amazing waiting in the next room of the dungeon. Things happen offscreen and have an effect onscreen, basically.
There are other principles, but those are the main ones that I think really apply to any fantasy RPG. "Begin and end with the fiction" is a good one too, but that's also basically the entire mechanics of DW, and D&D's mechanics are very different.
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DM: The Cult of the Crystal Spider (Currently playing Storm King's Thunder) Player: The Knuckles of Arth - Lemire (Tiefling Rogue 5/Fighter 1)
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
honestly I don't feel the DMG is needed at all. I bought it as a new DM about a year ago, but honestly that's the book i open the least. The treasure tables are nice sometimes, but even those I rarely use. All of the rules are in the PHB (or honestly in the Basic Rules). The DMG contains variants on the rules, but nothing that is needed at all. The other things I think of when I think of it are availble in the Basic Rules/SRD (Encounter building, between adventures, magic items).
The MM to a lesser extent really isn't needed. As you stated the stat blocks are mostly available through the SRD. Other than that the MM gives you lore of the creatures as the pertain to the Forgotten Realms, in which your game might not take place so those points could be moot.
The PHB is great because it gives the players more races, classes, subclasses and feats. It contains all of the rules needed for the game. It's the only book I would say you should get if you aren't sure you want to play or not long-term. It's a relatively small investment, and it gives you everything needed to run/play the game in a nice format.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
Oh I use DNDBeyond's MM listing all the time, it is fantastic. But before I had it (i used the beta version with the SRD, but before that) I just used the SRD mostly, because it is available online and can easily be searched rather than the physical book. I bought the MM and DMG here because of the sale week 1, but I think I would be pretty well off without it, as so many monsters are available through the SRD.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Also the basic rules/SRD has a monster creation section, though I haven't compared it to the DMG section. I honestly haven't really created too many monsters, I find the ones that exist do the job well enough for now (as a beginner of course).
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
The best advice I ever got about DM'ing was right before I ran my first game. DM's never cheat.
You're going to find that sometimes, you're the one steering the story. Players do stupid stuff, constantly. (I'm known for my reckless and foolhardy decisions...lol) Yet, you should never punish them for trying something new. If it fails, let them take some damage or something; but don't up and end the game. Your rogues are going to want to rogue. Your bards are going to want to perform and make money. Your barbarians are going to want blood and combat; constantly. You'll start seeing the pattern of certain classes tropes the more you run, it's actually quite funny.
Roll with the punches and reward risky decisions or even silly ideas. Not with XP or loot all the time, mind you. But tie it into your story, make it a thread in your world. Sometimes, it becomes a joke. (In my one game on here we had a fighter running around afraid of doors, it became a running gag...) It's okay to fudge the dice if your players are getting beat down. Or if they are cocky S.O.B.'s and need to be taken down a peg or two...lol
In the end, it's your narrative that they are building with you. You're a storyteller with a cast of characters to help you build your story. You're not in this alone when sitting around the table, it's a whole group effort to make the game enjoyable. Who's going to clear out your well-planned dungeon? Your players. Who is going to save the princess? Your players. Who's going to oppose the players when they clear the well-planned dungeon and save the princess? The DM and the minions that said DM has crafted to do their bidding!
Just remember this, always. DM's can NEVER cheat.
Also, don't give them too many magic items at first. You will regret it. But mainly, DM's can never cheat.
"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
This "fact" requires a bit of finesse to actually use properly. If a DM acts like they are literally infallible and anything they want to do is fine by default, that DM can end up without players willing to join them at the table.
A DM must temper their "Nothing I do is wrong" so that they are not doing anything objectionable to their players... which is a greatly variable thing, since some players will put up with basically anything the DM does no matter how much it makes their choices as a player and the actions of their character irrelevant because the DM has a different plan and is "not cheating" to keep that plan going, and on the other end of the spectrum some players will walk away from the table at the first sign that the DM isn't sticking to whatever rules were established for the group (i.e. if a DM says "I never fudge die rolls", but then they fudge a die roll because they are allowed to as "DM's can never cheat", they've broken the rules they set for themself, and a player could find that objectionable enough to stop playing - like I know I and any of my players would).
In case no one has mentioned it yet. Watch Matt Colvilles videos on You tube called Running the game. As well as Matt Mercer's GM tips. They are both amazing for a first time DM.
"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
Over time, most of my DMing philosophy has been heavily informed by the philosophy of Dungeon World, a game that's sort of a love letter to old-school D&D but is very much about the collaborative storytelling over rolling dice, etc. A lot of the GMing rules in DW are quite applicable to making any RPG experience more fun, and I'm going to discuss them here and how they can apply to D&D.
(NB I am not here to say that DW is better than D&D or that people should play DW instead; I have no interest in arguing about any of that, only sharing what I think are some helpful guiding principles for DMs.)
First, portray a fantastic world. Unless your players really want to play a medieval life sim that's brutally realistic in that very few exciting things ever happen, there's going to be some level of fantasy in your setting. It doesn't have to mean dragons and magic (tho this is D&D after all) but that the world is engaging to your players and dynamic--there's a lot going on and all kinds of action and danger, and the PCs are the only ones who can stop the BBEG from destroying the world or save the princeling who's been kidnapped by the lich, etc. That helps to meet the next part of the GM's agenda, which is to fill the characters' lives with adventure. Make the PCs feel important. Next, play to find out what happens. This is maybe a little more specific in terms of DW, because the GM kind of takes a backseat to players in terms of the storytelling sometimes, but the idea is that the story is created through playing together. Anyone who has DM'd more than a couple times will tell you that unexpected things will happen, players will resist your rails or ignore (or just miss) your hooks, and so on. The point is that you're not writing a novel or directing a play--the players are not just actors in your story. They help determine the outcome as much as--sometimes more than--you do.
There are a whole bunch of other principles, some of them very specific to DW, some less so, and I won't spend as much time on them but there are a couple that I think can be really helpful.
There are other principles, but those are the main ones that I think really apply to any fantasy RPG. "Begin and end with the fiction" is a good one too, but that's also basically the entire mechanics of DW, and D&D's mechanics are very different.
DM: The Cult of the Crystal Spider (Currently playing Storm King's Thunder)
Player: The Knuckles of Arth - Lemire (Tiefling Rogue 5/Fighter 1)